EMERG workshop on International Roaming, Biel (Switzerland) 5-6 November 2019
High roaming rates caused by supernormal profits of the operators and high wholesale costs, which also factor in high international mobile, interconnect rates. However, the objective of regulation is to ensure consumer benefits and NRAs need to ask themselves how affordable, accessible and reliable roaming services can be provided.
Usually, roaming services market, due to its cross-border nature, remains outside of the control of individual national regulators. Even though, regulations in the field of international roaming tariffs framed in the European Union, who adopted the “Roam Like at Home” scheme, on July 2017.
Nowadays, our main concern is the asymmetry in the roaming tariffs between EU and Non-EU states, which we believe, has aggravated since the launching of the “RLAH” regulation. On this matter, we find it extremely important to discuss ways of harmonising international roaming pricing and reducing roaming tariffs among EU and Non-EU countries.
In accordance, the EMERG Plenary assembly 2018 decided to set up an Expert working group on Regional (International) Roaming. As other regional groups (inter alia the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership), Non-EU members of EMERG are interested in exploring ways of harmonising the international roaming tariffs with the European Union. The scope of the EWG is to analyse market differences between EU and Non-EU countries and to examine possible models for regional roaming agreement (“RRA”), which could help us reach an international roaming agreement with the EU. A specific questionnaire as been circulated by the Chair of the EWG, MoC (Israel), in order to have a clear picture of the situation in the area; its outcomes will be considered at the basis of any other further action.
Roaming – a general overview, Dr. Arnulf Heuermann, Detecon
Review on regional roaming agreement in the Eastern Partnership region- Analysis of best practices in the EaP, Andrejs Dombrovskis (EU4Digital)
Review on regional roaming agreement in the Western Balkan region – Analysis of best practices in the Western Balkans, Aleksandar Mastilovic (CRA, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Cost modelling and monitoring issues in international roaming, Davide Gallino (AGCOM, Italy)
The Swiss Case, Mirjam Buchmann Agajev (BAKOM, Switzerland)
